UZ Leuven Women’s and Children’s Centre fire safe thanks to FIRESCREEN®
The fire safety at UZ Leuven, one of the largest hospitals in Belgium with 1,995 beds, was boosted thanks to the installation of Firescreen® at the women’s and children’s centre on the Gasthuisberg campus. This brand-new building is where children and women receive care. There are four campuses at UZ Leuven: Gasthuisberg, Pellenberg, Sint-Pieter and Sint-Rafael. Each campus provides care to both inpatients and outpatients.
The challenge
Belgian fire legislation is very different from that in other countries. Different requirements apply everywhere, which doesn’t make the work of architects and contractors any easier. Stricter EI1 classification applies in Belgium, so the fire resistance must be higher. The fire safety regulations for a hospital are also very strict. If an emergency arises, a hospital cannot afford any malfunctions. The staff must be able to continue their work, otherwise human lives may be at stake. Furthermore, the safety of the many visitors must be guaranteed.
The solution
In cooperation with the architect and our local partner, we accepted the challenge to create fire separations between the various areas in the hospital with Firescreen® Temperature fire screens. Fire screens in various sizes have been installed between wards and visitation and waiting areas. It was also decided to place a separate Firescreen ® Temperature fire curtain in a coffee-making area because of the increased fire risk. To finish, all parts in sight were finished in the same RAL colour, so they are barely noticeable.
